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Wednesday, 15 March 2017

Tyntesfield in Photos

My last outfit post was set at Tyntesfield, a sprawling Victorian mansion set in a beautiful spot in the Somerset countryside. I promised some more photos of the house and grounds itself, so here you go, along with a potted history.

Tyntesfield was owned by the Gibbs family, who made their fortunes in the Guano (bird droppings for fertiliser) trade. William Gibbs bought the regency house in 1843 and remodelled it extensively into a Gothic extravaganza, complete with its own chapel. Some of the rooms are yet to be renovated, with the work ongoing. The National Trust has painstakingly catalogued the house contents - over 60,000 items!

The chapel is on the most grand scale, it's hard to believe that it was built for just one household! I did wonder how many people would attend services there, but then found out that the staff alone numbered 19. Inspired by Sainte Chapelle in Paris, the chapel was commissioned in 1873 and is highly decorated.

The gardens are wonderful too. There's a rose garden and formal terracing, which leads down to a walled kitchen garden, Orangery and glasshouses.

We enjoyed leafing through the photograph albums in the Orangery, there were some lovely Victorian fashions on display. Tyntesfield is a stunning place, I hope to return there in the warmer months when the gardens will be at their best.

14 comments:

Not only does my membership enable me to visit loads of National trust properties but I also get to see my friend's trips, too. It's fab!Tyntesfield looked wonderful from the outside shots and the interior certainly doesn't disappoint. I'd quite happily cosy up in that library with a rum or dress for dinner to sit at that wonderful dining table!The Orangerie is gorgeous - bigger than a house! That final photo, wow! xxx

60k objects... all I could think is how would you move house if you have all that stuff?! But then, moving house is in fairly recent memory for me ;) It's really beautiful - I don't feel like I've been anywhere quite as pretty NT-wise so far, but perhaps I'm misremembering! xx

Tyntesfield is so gorgeous. I remember when it became vacant - I recall there being some speculation about Kylie Minogue taking it over! Though that could be my memory playing tricks. I can't picture Kylie there, though. It's more Helena B-C than Kylie.

Wow, it looks a bit different form when we went there on New Year's Day. It was pouring extremely heavy rain that day so we didn't get to enjoy the outside. However, inside it was still dressed for Christmas and it was all dark and atmospheric. It's such a beautiful house. xx